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Board opens process to convert county lodging business improvement district to a 2% assessment; staff to consult cities
Summary
Supervisors voted to publish the annual lodging BID report and to begin the legal process to change the BID assessment rate; staff were also directed to coordinate with the four cities that overlap the district boundaries.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on May 6 accepted the annual report for the Lodging Business Improvement District (BID) and adopted a resolution of intent to levy an assessment while beginning a conversion process that could raise the assessment rate from 1% to 2% under the "94" law framework.
Cali Dim, board chair of Visit Mendocino's advisory body, urged better data collection to make marketing more surgical and recommended the county contract with a third party to collect occupancy and average-daily-rate information by zip code. Dim said that better data, coupled with a higher assessment, could improve the BID's return on marketing dollars.
Planning staff and the BID consultant said the petition process to convert the district remains in progress; the campaign had collected a sizable share of required signatures and was approximately 15% short of the 51% threshold of assessed owners at the time of the meeting. Staff noted city council resolutions from affected cities will be part of the conversion process once the required petition threshold is met.
The board also directed staff to coordinate with the four cities affected by the BID (Fort Bragg, Point Arena, Ukiah and Willits) and to work with Visit Mendocino and the county tax office on data collection and outreach.
Why it matters: The lodging BID funds tourism promotion in unincorporated areas and partnered cities; a higher assessment would raise additional revenue to market Mendocino's tourism assets but requires support of assessed businesses and affected cities.
What's next: Staff will continue the petition work, coordinate with city councils and report back with the required materials and any city resolutions once the petition threshold is reached. The board also directed outreach to the cities and further consultation on data-sharing and BID administration.
Ending: The motion to accept the annual report and begin the legal steps toward conversion passed unanimously.
